Cutting Board Comparison: Is Wood or Plastic Better?

As a chef or food lover, selecting the right cutting board is a crucial decision since it serves as a canvas for food preparation. Hence, it's essential to weigh the pros and cons of wooden and plastic cutting board. The choice of material can significantly impact the lifespan of knives, resistance to bacteria, and durability against wear and tear.

Product Life

When comparing the lifespan of plastic and wooden cutting boards, wood undeniably outlasts plastic. As knife marks accumulate on plastic cutting boards, they become more difficult to clean. Furthermore, plastic boards have a tendency to stain and cultivate mold over time, resulting in a breeding ground for bacteria and an unappealing appearance. On the contrary, wooden cutting boards can last for decades with proper maintenance, and end grain patterns can actually become more striking after years of use.

Hygiene

Hygiene and prevention of bacterial growth are one of the biggest areas of dispute for plastic and wooden cutting boards. While wooden cutting boards tend to be a little more difficult to clean than plastic, wood’s natural characteristics make it harder for bacteria to linger.

Knife Protection

Due to end grain wood fibers naturally separating when working with knives, butcher blocks and hardwood cutting boards are much more friendly to the Knife than their plastic counterparts.

Though plastic is more knife-friendly than glass, it still doesn't hold up well against sharp blades. This means that frequent use of knives on plastic can lead to dullness over time, and the cutting board may also sustain damage.

Wear and Tear

When plastic cutting boards are marked with a knife, they become uneven and difficult to clean, and can increasingly harbor more bacteria over time. In contrast, wooden cutting boards, especially those made from edge grain, can withstand years of food preparation and improve in appearance with age. The end grain construction of these cutting boards allows the wood fibers to naturally separate and rejoin when cut, resulting in a self-healing effect that may show some knife marks but ultimately repairs itself over time.